Attending the Kansas City Art Institute and then the School of Visual Arts in New York, Ned Gannon lived in New York City for seven and a half years before moving to teach at UWEC. His art has appeared in a number of countries and a range of venues in the United States, including the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Society of Illustrators (New York and LA), and the International Wolf Center in Ely Minnesota. In 2011, he participated in the Isle Royale National Park artist residency, and his art is part of their permanent collection. He creates for commercial clients, such as Cricket or Plough magazines, and non-profits such as Sierra Club, as well as teaching and exhibiting art. When not making art or teaching, he might be found looking for evidence of wolves in some of the zones not far from his home with one of his good friends. He also loves to write, hike with his family, or take his dog, Gwenforte, on adventures. Both his parents grew up in Bismarck, and as a result he spent many summer weeks in the city and surrounding area visiting family. Artist Statement: As an artist I keep busy with creating my own stories, looking to explore ideas through the visual world around me, and collaborating with my academic colleagues on exhibitions and with my students on research projects. My inspirations include nature, poetry, film, music, and other visual artists. I have an abiding love for the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Tracy K Smith, and Tomas Transtromer. Contemporary artists that resonate with me are Shaun Tan, Claire Sherman, Charles Avery, and Zoey Frank. Historical artistic influences would include NC Wyeth, George Inness, Arthur Streeton, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, to name just a few. As an educator and parent, I believe in keeping the mind fluid and flexible. As poet Wendell Berry says, "It may be that when we no longer know what to dowe have come to our real work,and that when we no longer know which way to gowe have come to our real journey.The mind that is not baffled is not employed.The impeded stream is the one that sings."